Often it is desirable to maintain items at a desired temperature or within a desired temperature range. When the ambient temperatures are different than the desired temperature or temperature range, whether the ambient temperature is variably or constantly different, such items are typically placed in a thermally conditioned space. Depending upon the difference between the desired temperature or temperature range and the ambient temperature, the thermally conditioned space may either have heat removed or added to it. The present innovation provides for removing heat to create a thermally conditioned space which is cool or cold.
The need for such cool or cold space may arise in areas within which there is not a reliable source of electrical power to run the equipment or components necessary or required to cool the space. For example, there are many areas in the world which do not have any access to the power grid. There are others which have access, but the power grid is unreliable with power being unavailable during periods of time. The present innovation provides the use of solar power to the energy necessary to provide such cool or cold space.
While many different items may beneficially be kept within cool or cold spaces, one use of thermally conditioned spaces is to maintain perishable commodities, such as, milk, meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, ornamental flowers and other floricultural products, which tend to perish when stored in natural environmental condition. When the prevailing natural environmental condition has high temperature, it is favorable for growth of micro-organisms. Hence, perishable commodities are required to be stored at a low temperature in order to retard the growth of micro-organisms and thus increasing their shelf life. This is because low temperature retards the activity and growth of micro-organisms and thus enables preserving perishable commodities in their natural state for a certain period of time. The degree to which the temperature is required to be lowered is dependent on storage time and the type of commodity to be stored.
In order to cater to the problem of storing perishable commodities, a storage space maintained at a low temperature is used for storing the perishable commodities. Conventionally, a storage room is formed within a thermally insulated housing having a cold air discharge port and a warm air return port provided at the base of the thermally insulated housing. The thermally insulated housing communicates with a machine room located under the thermally insulated housing through the cold air discharge port and the warm air return port. A cooling unit, having a cooler, a blower and a compressor is mounted in the machine room and helps in maintaining the temperature of the storage space at a desired low temperature. However, conventional arrangement of the storage room involves increased maintenance due to leakage of cold air between the thermally insulated housing and the machine room through openings provided for the cold air discharge port and the warm air return port. Further, the conventional storage room involves complicated mounting operations. The conventional storage room involves extensive usage of electrical energy and hence in areas where there is shortage of electrical energy, the working of the conventional storage room is required to be stalled until the supply of electrical energy is restored or is not a viable option. This results in commodities stored within the conventional storage room to perish or the cold storage facility to be unavailable or unsuitable for storing the perishable commodities.
Hence, there is felt a need for a cool or cold thermally conditioned space which overcomes the drawbacks and deficiencies of conventional spaces.